Planar spark gap socket



P 9, 1959 R. A. MOMBERGER 3,466,491

-' I PLANAR SPARK GAP SOCKET Filed Sept. 14, 1967 s i 9 23 w M i 25INVENTOR.

B? Fig 4 ATTORNEY P/c/mw ,4; Manama I Q United States Patent ware FiledSept. 14, 1967, Ser. No. 667,798 Int. Cl. H01j /50 US. Cl. 313331 8Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An electron discharge device spark gapsocket includes electrical connectors within a body of electricalinsulating material and a support member of electrical insulatingmaterial having a plurality of electrical conductors on one surfacethereof with each of the conductors contacting an electrical connectorand formed to provide a plurality of fixed spark gaps intermediate oneof the conductors and the remainder of the conductors.

Background of the invention Numerous types of electron dischargedevices, such as television picture tubes for instance, utilize a widerange of potential which must be coupled intermediate thereto andelectrical circuitry. This wide range of potential, in the order of0-25,000 volts, tends to result in undesired arcing within the tubewhich does not particularly harm the tube but does tend to damageexternal circuitry coupled thereto.

The prior art suggests several types of discharge device sockets whichinclude a spark gap means for dissipating these undesired potentials.One known spark gap socket includes a wafer of insulating materialhaving apertures therein and disposed intermediate the electricalconnectors of the socket and an electrical conducting ring. When thepotential on one of the connectors exceeds a predetermined value, arcingto the electrical conducting ring occurs.

In another known type of spark gap socket, a metal ring having aplurality of spaced projections thereon is disposed within the body ofthe socket with the projections bent toward the electrical connectors ofthe socket to provide a spark gap therebetween.

Although these and other similar types of spark gap sockets have greatlyenhanced the art, it has been found that each has one or moreundesirable features such as relatively high cost of materials, labor,and assembly time. Also, each of the known devices is dependent upon thespacing between the electrical connectors and a conductor ring and suchspacing is subject to undesired variations due to the tendency of theconnectors to become distorted when an electrical conductor is aflixedthereto.

Objects and summary of the invention Therefore, it is an object of thepresent invention to provide a relatively inexpensive and simple sparkgap socket for an electron discharge device. Another object of theinvention is to provide a unique spark gap socket wherein the spacing ofthe spark gap is predetermined and independent of spacing between theelectrical conductors of the socket and a potential discharge means.

Briefly, these and other objects are achieved in one aspect of theinvention by a support means of electrical insulating material having aplurality of spaced electrical conductors affixed to one surface thereofwith each of the electrical conductors contacting one of the connectorsof the socket and one of the electrical conductors spaced from each ofthe remaining electrical conductors.

3,466,491 Patented Sept. 9, 1969 Brief description of the drawings FIG.1 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the support means of the embodimentof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an alternative support means applicable to theembodiment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of another alternative support means applicable tothe embodiment of FIG. 1.

Description of the preferred embodiments For a better understanding ofthe invention, together with other and further objects, advantages, andcapabilities thereof, reference is made to the accompanying drawings andappended claims in conjunction with the following description.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a spark gap electrondischarge device socket. The socket, in general, compirses two maincircular-shaped sections which may be designated a body section 5 and asupport section 7 and which are concentrically arranged in a face toface relationship and permanently secured together such as by a stud 9for instance.

The body section 5 of the spark gap socket, which is preferably of ashape retaining dielectric material such as Bakelite, has a centralaperture 11 extending therethrough adapted to receive the base of anelectron discharge device. Also, a pair of surfaces 13 and 15 are formedin substantially normal relationship to each other and a plurality ofapertures 17 circumferentially arrayed in spaced relationship extendthrough the body section 5 intermediate the surfaces 13 and 15respectively.

Disposed Within each of the circumferentially spaced apertures 1-7 is anelectrical connector 19 having a pinreceiving portion 21 and a wireconnecting lug portion 23. The pin-receiving portion 21 faces one planarsurface 13 and is formed to receive the terminal pins on the base of anelectron discharge device while the wire connecting lug portion 23 facesthe other planar surface 15 and is formed for attachment of anelectrical conductor 25 thereto.

The support section 7 includes a wafer 27 of electrical insulatingmaterial having a plurality of circumferentially arrayed and spacedelectrical conductors 29 and 31 affixed to one surface thereof. Forexample, ordinary printed circuit board material is especially suitablefor use as the wafer 27. The electrical conductors 29 and 31 are arrayedin a manner such that each of the conductors 29 and 31 contacts the wireconnecting lug portion 23 of one of the electrical connectors 19. Also,one of the conductors 29 is spaced from the remainder of the conductors31 to provide a spark gap 35 intermediate the one conductor 29 and theremainder of the conductors 31.

As can be more readily seen in FIG. 2, the electrical conductors 29 and31 of the support section 7 are circumferentially spaced and arrayed onthe wafer of insulating material 27. Also, each of the electricalconductors 29 and 31 is vertically aligned with one of the electricalconnectors 19 of FIG. 1. In this particular embodiment, the electricalconductor 29, which is the conductor normally coupled to a voltagereference level such as circuit ground, has a substantially circularportion 33 which is spaced from the remainder of the electricalconductors 31. Thus, a spark gap 35 is provided intermediate theelectrical conductor 29 and each one of the electrical conductors 31.

Additionally, each one of the spark gaps 35 is of preselected magnitudewhich is readily determinable during the fabrication of the supportsection 7. Moreover, each of the spark gaps 35 is in the same plane andof a fixed pre-selected value which is independent of other componentparts of the body section 5 and undesired variations and distortionstherebetween.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate alternative configurations of the supportsection 7. In FIG. 3, an electrical conductor 37, which is the conductornormally coupled to a voltage reference level, is in the form of acircular band having a leg portion 39 extending interiorly thereto forproviding electrical connection to one of the electrical connectors 19of the body section 5 of FIG. 1. A plurality of spaced electricalconductors 41 are arrayed within the surrounding electrical conductor 37and each of the electrical conductors 41 is arrayed to provide alignmentand electrical contact with one of the electrical connectors 19 of thebody section 5.

Also, the surrounding electrical conductor 37 has a plurality ofprotuberances 43 each one of which is spaced from one of the electricalconductors 41. In this manner, a spark gap 45 is provided intermediateeach of the electrical conductors 41 and the surrounding electricalconductor 37. As mentioned above, each of the spark gaps 45 is of apre-selected value and substantially independent of variations withinthe body section 5 of the spark gap socket. 7

FIG, 4 illustrates another embodiment of the support section 7 whereinis included a wafer 47 of electrical insulating material having oneelectrical conductor 49 with a central portion 51 and a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced and arrayed conductors 53 affixed to thesurface of the wafer 47. As above, each of the electrical conductors 49and 53 is arrayed for alignment and electrical contact with one of theelectrical connectors 19 of the body section 5. Also, intermediate eachone of the electrical conductor 53 and the central portion 51 of theelectrical conductor 49 is an aperture 55. Each of these apertures 55are of a magnitude which is selectable and serves as a spark gap ofpredetermined value intermediate each one of the electrical conductors53 and the central portion 51 of the electrical conductor 49. Thus, theapertures 55 further insure consistency of the spark gap and arcingpotential by eliminating the possibility of carbonization of the wafer47 of electrical insulating material intermediate the central portion 51of the electrical conductors 49 and the conductor 53.

It should perhaps be noted that the support section 7 is preferablyfabricated of a laminated material having a layer of electricalinsulating material with a layer of electrically conductive materialbonded thereto. In a manner well known in the printed circuit art,portions of the electrically conductive layer are removed to provide thedesired spaced electrical conductors with the previously described sparkgap intermediate one of the conductors and each one of the remainingelectrical conductors.

Thus, there has been provided a unique spark gap electron dischargedevice socket having numerous advantages over any of the known spark gapsockets. The socket is simple in construction and economical ofmaterials and assembly and fabrication time. Also, the structureprovides a capability of uniformity, consistency, and repeatability ofpredetermined spark gap values which, as far as is known, isunobtainable in any other spark gap tpye structure.

While there have been shown and described what are at present consideredthe preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be madetherein without departing from the invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. An electron discharge device spark gap socket comprising incombination:

a socket body of electrical insulating material having apertures inspaced array;

an electrical connector disposed within each of said apertures; and

support means afiixed to said socket body, said support means being inthe form of electrical insulating material having a plurality ofelectrical conductors aflixed in spaced array to one surface of saidsupport means, each of said electrical conductors being aligned with andcontacting one of said electrical connectors, and One of said electricalconductors being spaced a predetermined distance from the remainder ofsaid electrical conductors whereby said predetermined distance forms aspark gap intermediate said one conductor and each one of the remainingelectrical conductors.

2. The electron discharge device spark gap socket of claim 1 wherein allof said electrical conductors and said spark gaps intermediate saidelectrical conductors are in a single plane of said support means.

3. The electron discharge device spark gap socket of claim 1 whereinsaid support means is in the form of a laminated structure having alayer of electrical insulating material and electrical conductors bondedthereto and contacting individual ones of said electrical connectors,said electrical conductors being formed to provide spark gapsintermediate one electrical conductor and each one of the remainingelectrical conductors.

4. The electron discharge device spark gap socket of claim 1 whereinsaid socket body includes a pair of substantially planar surfaces inapproximate normal relationship to one another, each one of saidplurality of apertures extends through said socket body intermediatesaid pair of substantially planar surfaces, each one of said electricalconnectors within each one of said apertures includes a pin-receivingportion and a wire connecting lug portion, and said wire connecting lugportion of each of said electrical connectors contacts one of saidelectrical conductors.

5. The electron discharge device spark gap socket of claim 1 whereinsaid apertures and electrical connectors of said socket body and saidelectrical conductors of said support means are circumferentiallyarrayed in spaced relationship and one of said electrical conductors isformed to provide a substantially circular portion spaced from each oneof the remaining electrical conductors whereby a spark gap is providedintermediate said circular portion of said one electrical conductor andeach one of the remaining electrical conductors.

6. The electron discharge device spark gap socket of claim 5 whereinsaid support means is apertured intermediate said circular portion ofsaid one electrical conductor and each one of the remaining electricalconductors.

7. The electron discharge device spark gap socket of claim 5 whereinsaid circular portion of said one electrical conductor and saidremaining electrical conductors are in the same plane with said circularportion located interiorly of and spaced from the remaining electricalconductors.

8. The electron discharge device spark gap socket of claim 5 whereinsaid circular portion of said one electrical conductor and saidremaining electrical conductors are in the same plane and said circularportion substantially surrounds and is spaced from the remainingelectrical conductors.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1967 Smith 313-331 11/1967Kearney 313331 US. Cl. X.R. 3l3325

